Jun 01, 2018

A new ASTM International standard provides a new way to test for water vapor transmission through flexible barrier materials using electrolytic detection sensors. 

According to ASTM International member Victor Kofman, technical manager of R&D at Illinois Instruments, water vapor transmission can have a negative impact on food, pharmaceuticals, and other products in the package.

“Historically, there was only one commercially available type of instrument that was compliant to a consensus standard based on an InfraRed sensor,” says Kofman. This new standard could now support instruments that use alternate sensor technology that Kofman says could be both more sensitive and less expensive.

In addition to the packaging industry, this new standard could help companies in the food, pharmaceutical, plastic, and electronics fields.

The new standard (soon to be published as F3299) was developed by the committee on primary barrier packaging (F02).